A variety of devices have heretofore been produced and utilised in order to deliver an intermittent pressure. Such pressure can be positive in the sense of being greater than ambient pressure or negative when dealing with a vacuum.
In one such application, the aspiration of fluids from a patient is accomplished by providing a vacuum source to the internal body area of the patient requiring aspiration. Typically, unregulated hospital vacuum line pressure is approximately between 19 to 25 inches of mercury Hg.
The use of vacuum regulators as medical devices is well known to achieve such aspiration of fluids.
Generally speaking, such vacuum regulators are attached to a vacuum outlet in the wall of the patient's hospital room and known vacuum regulators are utilised in order to select the desired level of vacuum.
Furthermore, some of the vacuum regulators also include an intermittent vacuum regulator with a timing module in order to apply intermittent vacuum to a patient followed by exposure to an ambient pressure. For example, the U.S. Pat. No. 5,599,308 teaches an intermittent vacuum regulator having a timing module in combination with a valve for controlling the position of the valve between two or more states.
Moreover, U.S. Pat. No. 6,228,056 B1 illustrates an intermittent regulator in which the regulator alternates between supplying partial vacuum to a patient for withdrawing fluids from the body of a patient, and supplying atmosphere to a patient, at a selected intermittent rate, that is adjustable upon adjusting a timing mechanism.
Moreover, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,782,849 and 4,830,047 each illustrate a controlled unit for an intermittent suction system.
Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 5,265,638 shows an intermittent suction device for removing fluids from a patient where the duty cycle between the off and on cycle is controlled by a magnetically susceptible diaphragm that switches back and forth between a first and second position.
Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 5,265,639 shows a magneto-pneumatic timing device that provides a pressure signal alternating between a high and low pressure output signal.
It is an object of this invention to provide an improved intermittent pressure module. It is further object of this invention to provide a vacuum regulator having an intermittent vacuum module, which is removable and securable thereto. It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved method for producing an intermittent pressure. It is a further object of this invention to provide a regulator that may be convertible from a regulated substantially constant pressure flow to an intermittent pressure flow.
It is an aspect of this invention to provide an intermittent pressure module for controlling the position of a valve between two positions comprising a diaphragm; a plurality of ports associated with said diaphragm for exposing the diaphragm to a selected supply pressure in a first position and another pressure in a second position; and swing arm structure associated with the diaphragm and the valve for intermittently displacing the valve when the diaphragm is exposed to the selected supply pressure in the first position and said other pressure in the said second position.
It is another aspect of this invention to provide a vacuum regulator having: an intermittent channel for vacuum flow; a regulated channel for regulating a level of vacuum; an intermittent vacuum module removably securable to the vacuum regulator, the intermittent vacuum module presenting an intermittent port for communicating with the intermittent vacuum channel, a regulated port for communicating with said regulator channel, a diaphragm assembly displaceable within a diaphragm chamber having a diaphragm port, and a valve for intermittently connecting the intermittent port with the diaphragm port so as to expose the diaphragm assembly to a vacuum in a first position, and for connecting the intermittent port to the regulator port to relieve the vacuum from said diaphragm chamber (i.e. inflate the diaphragm chamber) to ambient pressure in a second position, and swing arm associated with a diaphragm assembly and the valve for intermittently displacing the valve when said diaphragm is exposed to the vacuum in the first position and ambient pressure in the second position.
It is another aspect of this invention to provide a method of producing an intermittent vacuum by moving a valve to a first position to couple a supply of vacuum to a diaphragm chamber having a diaphragm move in response to the vacuum for moving a spring loaded swing arm so as to move the valve to a second position to couple the supply of vacuum to a regulated port and relieve the vacuum from the diaphragm chamber (i.e. inflate the diaphragm chamber) and move the diaphragm in response to said relief for moving said spring loaded swing arm so as to move the valve to the first position, repeatedly.
These and other objects and features of the invention shall now be described in relation to the following drawings: